Um...so Score wasn't supposed to run this weekend, he was only backing up. But I wanted to try out his new custom flyball harness (Thanks soooo much to Missy @ Brown Dog Design Harnesses for the prototypes to test out!), and it was his birthday weekend. I let Inara run some, then pulled her for a race in the middle of Saturday racing, so Score could play a bit. I was just going to warm him up a bit...then put her in for the racing.

He raced out for warm-ups and turned in a 4.0 second time. He was WOUND UP! So I did two more warm-ups and he turned in 4.0's again. Jeebus! For those that don't know...the flyball lanes are 51 feet long, with four jumps and a spring loaded box with a ball. Score is racing down the lane and back in four seconds! This is like world record fast...border collie fast!

I hand him off to the teammate that was holding Inara and told her that he was done...and to put him up in his crate. She walked away, dragging him behind... (he was trying to get back to race). We ran Inara, and she was turning in 4.5's...we lost to the faster team. I turned to the rest of the team, and said..."should we get Score back and see what we can do?" Everyone agreed, and another teammate ran to get him back. We handed Inara off to yet another teammate (I love them all...).

I get the brown puppy lined up...and I'm a bit worried, as he's in start position (first) and he's only run anchor (last)...but I figure we'll see what he can do. Trial by fire! He's wound up and pulling me all over...(in that wonderful harness). I'm also a bit worried as he's been dropping his ball lately...but I want to test that he'll indeed bring it back to me after all the work I've put in lately.

Lights go, I'm late on my release, because I'm not used to starting him. He takes off like a bat out of hell. Seriously...he knocks me on my ass. Hits the box, flips off like a champ and comes tearing back to me...and the time on the display reads 3.9 seconds. I scream like a little girl, and drop to my knees to hug him (and he's just shaking his basketball like a crazy man). He's the first dog on our team to go below 4 seconds! He's just beat all of the border collies and Aussies! The next run, he's still wound up...we're late on the start, and he turns in a 3.8 second run! Oh. My. God. This is simply amazing. This doesn't happen every day...even with border collies or dogs bred specifically to play flyball (border-jacks, stacks, etc). He runs one more and turns in another 3.9. I've almost got tears in my eyes, I'm so proud of him.

Everyone is cheering for him, and we go walking off the lane...I'm battered and bruised from Score and his basketball...but we're happy. I get a few feet out of the lane, and a hand taps my shoulder...it's the judge, Geoff, who has caught up with us. He says with a huge grin..."Did you see that he just got a 3.8!" I was just babbling..."yeah, yeah!" He says, "he's amazing...where did you get him?" I briefly tell him Score's story and he walks back to the lanes grinning.

Our team says that they're all fielding questions from everyone on the sidelines about him...they tell his story over and over while we're racing. I'm just so proud...everyone's watching him. What a great valentine's present!

Then on Sunday, since it's his birthday, I get him out again to take Inara's place. We're racing the fastest team there...with a super fast line-up. No way we can beat them...but just maybe Score can beat their start dog: a malinois. This mal is incredibly fast...poetry in motion. I've drooled over this dog before. Her name is Fusion. I heart Fusion.

We go out to race, and Fusion and Score are racing each other...down and back. Fusion: 4.3, Score 4.0. The other team is conferring..."did Fusion slip, the other dog beat her back". I grin to myself. We go again. Fusion 4.3, Score 4.0. Again, Fusion 4.4, Score 4.0. Honestly, they raced four times, each time he was a 4.0. The team beat them, but Score beat the mal. (sorry Katrina!)

We leave the ring after that race, and the team captain for the other team comes up and grabs me. Her eyes are wet. She tells me that she's been told Score's story and she's got tears in her eyes...she keeps saying "I don't know how I missed him before!" She tells me that he's just lovely, and amazing. She's been in flyball since the 80's and their team are usually regional champs...so compliments like that from her are just the BEST.

So the wee brown puppy that was found on the streets has made a name for himself in the flyball community...everyone was talking about him. He's super fast and so wonderful.

"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw

Can't use flash in the building while there is racing going on...and the building's too dark for pics without the flash. So no pics this time...there should be some from next month's tourney, there's a professional that shows up down there to take pics.

As for his cool new harness, I'm gonna be taking pics of him standing still in it to show it off. I think Missy needs to name it the SCORE! Harness...because it's obviously magical for Score dogs that play flyball!

"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw

As a teammate, I am so very proud of Score-puppy! I was boxloading for that team, so I didn't get to see times for myself. I wish that I had my video camera with me!Anyway, I can attest to the fact that he 'bout knocked me over on the box. He always hits with some force, but he was lifting it (and me standing on the box) off the ground. Not just sliding it. Tipping it up off the ground. For those who know flyball, this is quite a feat!Yay for Score!!!!

Excuse my overuse of smilies! I'm proud of my team puppy!!!! Way to go, Erin!

That is so awesome! I can't wait to see him race in person. And hopefully my whole team will be there to see him kick their bred-for-flyball-dogs' butts! And that's crazy about him hitting the box so hard. Our border-staffy does that, but your box weighs twice as much as ours.

Hundilein wrote:That is so awesome! I can't wait to see him race in person. And hopefully my whole team will be there to see him kick their bred-for-flyball-dogs' butts! And that's crazy about him hitting the box so hard. Our border-staffy does that, but your box weighs twice as much as ours.

You guys gonna be at CIA/BR next month?

"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw

Nope. My car can't go that far until I have some more money to fix it when it dies, and no one else really wanted to go. We tend to go south rather than north, and I know you don't come down this way much. I'll see you eventually, I'm sure, it just might be a little while.